17 charged in West Baltimore drug case

Authorities charged 17 alleged members of a West Baltimore cocaine and heroin ring that used distinctive yellow and green packaging for its product, the State's Attorney's Office said Wednesday.

Three men were charged in federal court and had their initial appearances before a judge in the afternoon. Of the 14 others, 9 were arrested Wednesday in a series of raids that police said hit multiple places around Baltimore.

The drug ring operated in the Gilmor Homes public housing project and the case was developed by the Baltimore police and Drug Enforcement Administration using wiretaps, prosecutors said.

The charges follow two busts earlier this month that police said targeted suspected Black Guerrilla Family gang members in East Baltimore.

Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts and State's Attorney Gregg L. Bernstein said in a statement that charging large numbers of people at once will help dislodge drug dealers from city neighborhoods.